Letters: Who’s paying for Labor’s pre-poll ad splurge
Readers have their say on the Palaszczuk government’s pre-election ad spending splurge, the cost of bringing the AFL Grand Final to Queensland and childcare funding reform.
Opinion
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AS COLUMNIST Peter Gleeson pointed out (C-M, Sep 21), Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is merrily spending taxpayers’ money promoting her Labor Party and achieving an advantage over the Opposition.
The money spent runs into millions of dollars and we have no control over it even though the funds belong to us.
The only chance we have to show our resentment is at the ballot box on October 31.
There should be an independent body that vets all government expenditure to ensure funds are spent in the interest of the people and not on promoting a spendthrift premier’s personal objectives.
Every dollar borrowed or wasted in selfish causes has to be paid back by taxpayers in the future.
Keith Whiteside, Sippy Downs
PETER Gleeson made some disturbing points about the amount of money being spent by the State Government on “election advertising”.
To read that about $5.8 million has already been spent on this marketing is annoying.
This money should have been spent on important projects for the public not the party.
Lesley Brandis, Camp Hill
THE latest complaint from Peter Gleeson and others critical of the Palaszczuk government is the financial and in-kind assistance given to the AFL to hold its grand final at the Gabba.
Yet such critics continually ask the government to make bold moves to relax COVID restrictions and stimulate business to reopen the economy after the suppressive effects of the pandemic.
This is precisely what has been done. By containing the virus to virtually zero community transmission in Queensland, the government was able to attract job-creating businesses to Queensland.
Sports such as the AFL and NRL, and entertainment industries such as film-making, are just as important to economic activity as essential businesses such as manufacturing, retail and transport that also have interstate or overseas links operating under COVID-safe plans.
Other states made financially attractive (and commercial-in-confidence) bids to attract the AFL Grand Final, and Queensland won because it was able to attract Victorian etc players to live in Queensland and safely host the regular competition.
No infections have been reported from any of these businesses operating under COVID-safe plans that include compliance mechanisms.
All these operations would be at risk if individuals not subject to such close scrutiny entered Queensland from places where community transmission is not yet contained, and restarted community infections in Queensland.
Please give credit where it is due.
Donald Maclean, Fig Tree Pocket
I AM fed up with the Palaszczuk government wasting taxpayers’ dollars on advertising.
The Unite and Recover ads appear to be under the guise of a political ad preparing for the election and our tax dollars should not be wasted in such a way so that Annastacia Palaszczuk can big note herself. Queensland is in massive debt and the last thing we need are political ads at our expense.
I am also not happy that the Premier threw $15 million of our tax dollars at the AFL simply to bring a bunch of footballers to our state.
Linda Graham, Warana
I ENJOY watching Aussie rules and the Lions played an exciting game last weekend and won.
I hope they make it to the grand final on October 24 and I wish them all the best.
While watching the match on TV I saw a large rolling advertisement in the background which said Cross River Rail.
Who paid for this?
Public transport is essential and advertising is inappropriate.
In the present, dire COVID-19 fiscal environment one would think that superfluous spending would be cut back or stopped.
Lizzie Haydon, Runcorn
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GAME OF POLITICS
RUGBY league writer Paul Kent writes, “Truth is, the Grand Final is Palaszczuk’s dip into dirty politics” (C-M, Sep 19), as if shocked this is virgin territory for anyone involved in the political arena.
Politics is all about gamesmanship and like a football match there is a winner and loser.
Suggesting Gorden Tallis would win in a landslide should he be premier of Queensland may be exaggerated as he wasn’t coined the “Raging Bull” lightly and a level and quick-witted head is required in playing the game of politics.
It seems Kent is not averse to using politics to sway readers by referencing a recent decision by the Chief Health Officer of non-admittance to a funeral to pull at the readers’ heart strings, painting the Queensland Government as heartless, then suggesting the AFL was given priority over a funeral.
The decision to allow the AFL to play in Queensland was already in place for a couple months.
When sports and politics collide there will always be fireworks, as Kent highlighted examples from the Olympics with runner Jessie Owens being snubbed by Adolf Hitler because of his skin colour, to other countries over the years boycotting games for various political reasons.
Dates have been questioned by Kent in regard to the AFL Grand Final.
Bearing in mind it is usually held on the last weekend in September, and with the disruptions caused by COVID-19, it should come as no surprise it’s now in October.
Perhaps it should have been on election day, October 31.
Now that would be a spectacular combination and everyone would be on a knife’s edge with eyes going from the Gabba to counting votes.
Kent may be clutching at straws as there always has been rivalry between states as to which code is the most popular, with most NRL fans referring to AFL as “aerial ping-pong”.
As to the cost revealed to Queenslanders of having the AFL here it should fade into insignificance if it lifts the spirits of the Queensland people.
The lipstick is on the pig as Kent advises, so let’s “pucker up”.
Susan McLochlan, Caboolture South
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GENTLE IMPROVEMENT
PETER Gentle has done an admirable coaching job since he took over from Anthony Seibold.
The Broncos players are putting in a much improved effort although not winning and Gentle’s press conferences are a breath of fresh air.
I was one of the people who criticised the inexperienced assistants Seibold had chosen but I take it all back and hope management decide to keep Gentle on in some capacity.
Arthur Ellis, Ormiston
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FUNDING FOR CHILD CARE NEEDS REFORM
FUNDING for children in childcare centres continues to attract argument.
Should the state and federal government contribute more to ease the burden on young families? Many believe so.
But each time government funding increases, it seems the owners of childcare centres gain greater profits.
I see no problem in funding child care through our taxes.
But I have serious disquiet in such funding lining the pockets of private enterprise.
If government funding is to be channelled into child care, it should be similar to state schools and should be under the control of state education.
Thus all childcare centres for children perhaps over the age of three would be brought under the umbrella of the closest primary school and staffed by preschool teachers and teacher aides. Perhaps further infrastructure could be planned on primary school sites to accommodate the three and four-year-olds.
Parents would have the choice of private or state facilities but government funding would be the same for both. This model would ease the financial burden on parents for at least two years, plus inject building projects into our struggling economy.
Lyn Fryer, Ferny Hills
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M1 PROMISES
PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk is certainly jumping the gun by announcing her government’s plans for the Coomera Connector on the Gold Coast (C-M, Sep 21).
In what’s without doubt a pre-election carrot, it will only be a fait accompli when approved by the federal government which apparently is acting in good faith.
I’ve forgotten how many promises there have been to “fix” the M1.
Ken Johnston, Rochedale South
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